A 40-year-old man died of acute coronary syndrome while waiting for his turn to claim the government’s Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) benefits at the Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium on Saturday.
Walfredo Ople Catajan, Jr., a beneficiary from Barangay Sto. Niño, Hagonoy, was set to receive ₱5,625 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) when the medical emergency occurred.
Authorities said that around 10:40 a.m., while seated and waiting for his name to be called, he suddenly experienced chest pain and other symptoms.
Responders quickly brought him to the nearby Bulacan Medical Center (BMC) within the Capitol grounds, where he was given immediate care, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and an electrocardiogram (ECG).
In a statement, the BMC said that despite efforts to revive him, Catajan was pronounced dead at around 11:05 a.m.
Dr. Cris Carlo Pedrosa, the Internal Medicine doctor in BMC, said the cause of death was acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
The American Heart Association, on its website, explains that ACS happens when the heart muscle suddenly stops receiving blood.
It was later learned from Catajan’s relatives that he had long been suffering from a heart ailment.
Gov. Daniel Fernando, Vice Gov. Alexis Castro and Rowena Joson-Tiongson, head of the Bulacan Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), extended their sincerest sympathy to the family of Catajan.
“The unexpected incident pains us so much in the PSWDO and the whole of the Provincial Government of Bulacan. Our only intention in all the programs of the Provincial Government of Bulacan through the leadership of our Gov. Daniel Fernando is to bring immediate help and assistance to help ease the daily lives of our fellow Bulakenyos particularly the ones in need,” Joson-Tiongson said in a statement on Sunday.
